Despite the great leaps women have made in education, females still lag behind males in entering STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) related careers. Sadly, this path is determined early on, with girls significantly shying away from math and science in as early as fifth grade.
Women account for 46.5 percent of the U.S. workforce, but hold just 25 percent of mathematical and computer science jobs and 11 percent of engineering jobs, according to U.S. Department of Labor figures. Among those, only 7 percent are Hispanic and 6 percent are African-American.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is one of five Penn State campuses trying to reverse this trend through its Math Options Career Days and its Math Options Summer Camps. At Penn State Behrend, these just-for-girls initiatives have allowed thousands of promising young women from all over northwestern Pennsylvania to participate in fun, STEM-stimulating projects — as well as to receive a heavy dose of inspiration from women succeeding in STEM fields..
Penn State Behrend Director of Continuing Education Peggy McCarthy coordinates both programs at the college, which continue to prove their potential to get girls involved in STEM.
Keystone Edge (KE): Who came to Math Options Career Day this year?
Peggy McCarthy (PM): We hosted 240 seventh- and eighth-grade girls from 40 schools in Erie, Crawford, Potter, and Warren counties. Each school nominates six girls to attend based not on grades, but on potential and interest. The day starts at 8 a.m., and some of these girls travel three hours each way to attend.
KE: What do the girls do during the day?
PM: Our program engages them through many types of fun, educational workshops. For example, there’s “Hooke a Barbie,” which is based on Hooke’s Law of Elasticity.
We also had two special presenters who attended Math Options as girls and who later attended Penn State. One lady works as a video games designer while another is an engineer who manages and designs plastics projects. They used lots of graphics and charts, and the girls were totally fascinated.
KE: Why is Math Options Career Day so important for girls?
PM: Research shows that girls make connections between females not being as competent as males in math and science in fifth and sixth grade. They will then avoid higher-level math courses in middle and high school because they think those classes are only for boys or too difficult. Our goal is to show girls this just isn’t so. Many of these girls are geographically isolated, so this day isn’t just about getting them excited about STEM — it’s also about getting them excited about the prospect of attending college.
What’s more, Erie has the highest rate of poverty in the state and a low college attainment rate. Math Options has the potential to change this and to get women — who only comprise 20 percent of professionals working in high-paying STEM fields — going into these fields in college.
KE: Do you educate teachers on how to encourage girls in STEM?
PM: Yes. We directly address teachers about the gender bias and let them know what they can do to help the situation in their own classrooms. We hold workshops during Math Options Day just for the teachers and engage them in STEM activities that they can use in their classroom teaching.
KE: What do the girls think of the day?
PM: When we administer pre- and post-questionnaire tests that measure their attitudes about math and science, we see a big jump in how they feel about these areas at the end of the day. This year, the girls said that Math Options helped them think outside the box, taught them how to make things, and let them use their own perspective to solve problems. Others said they liked it so much that they want to attend our Math Options Summer Camp.
KE: Can you relate a story of a girl whose life was changed for the better because she attended Math Options?
PM: There are several examples, but one that sticks out is an African-American girl from the Erie School District who attended Math Options. She also came to our math camp and our Minority College Experience Program, which lets minority women in their junior and senior years of high school receive summer college credits as well as gain automatic acceptance into any Penn State campus if they receive at least a B average. This young woman later majored in electrical engineering and computer software at Penn State Behrend; today, she is an engineer.
KE: Math Options Summer Camp is about to start. Can you tell me about that?
PM: It’s a five-day day camp that lets girls work in an engineering lab. Some of the fun projects they do include designing jean bags and solving forensic crimes based on CSI episodes. On the last day, we have a reception in which the girls present their projects, theater-style, to their families.
Interested ninth- and tenth-grade girls must complete an application and write an essay. We give preference to girls who attended Math Options Career Day, and there are scholarships available.
Amanda Prischak is an Erie-based freelance writer. You can read more of her work here, or send feedback here.
